Spinoff to Catey's story....

What 'cause' would you say is closest to your heart?

Try to pick one... there's so many great ones out there.





Mine is the National MS Society


My mom was diagnosed with MS when I was 8. She's been amazingly lucky to have amazing doctors and great insurance coverage because her meds are something outrageous... $$$-wise.

She has her good days and bad days but struggles through so much of the summer because of how the heat affects her balance and walking.

They do say that it's hereditary and she was only 9 years older than I am when she was diagnosed so it does scare me a little bit.

... I have a friend from college who is only a year older than me who who was diagnosed with as well only a year ago so that to me... is really scary.

One of my evil sister in law's worst offenses to me was when one of the guys she works with was diagnosed with MS and like an ignorant moron not knowing anything about it started making fun of him and saying crap about how he was going to be 'gimping around in a wheelchair' etc. etc. while I was in the other room completely within earshot.

I walked into the room and just said 'Are you seriously making fun of this? Do you know my mom has had this for most of my life? Way to be an a-hole.' and just walked away.

Watching her jaw hit the floor was almost worth having to listen to her idiotic ramblings.



Anyways -- we always do the walk and the hospital my mom works at sponsors some events for it also so we do those.





But yeah, I think it's great to bring awareness to some of the possibly lesser-knowns... every cause is important and every one is 'most important' to someone out there so I like to hear about them...

What is yours?

Re: Spinoff to Catey's story....

My mom's older brother and her best friend passed away when he was 41 due to ALL (leukemia). He left behind 3 daughters..one of which was 6 when he passed...and he died on her birthday. My poor grandma endured so much as my grandpa passed away 4 months later out of the blue....his doctors said the only 'explanation' for his heart attack was a broken heart.

Needless to say, this impacted my family greatly.

I volunteered at sloan kettering in the peds unit bc my uncle was treated there and would always talk about how devastating it was to see sick babies/kids...and then if/when he got better he would volunteer in the pediatric units. He never got better but I did it for years to honor him!

I stopped going when i started graduate school bc I had class three nights a week but I finish up school in may and I will be returning to sloan....

ETA: FIL passed away in January...12 weeks after DIAGNOSIS...from cancer. He was treated at sloan as well, so now even more reason to support the institution and its patients.

Re: Spinoff to Catey's story....

cant choose one, unfortunately all of my grandparents have very serious conditions
both my grampas have Parkinson's
my gramma died from diebitis (and so did DH's dad)
and my other gramma is struggling with breast cancer. she is currently in somewhat of a remission. sort of. not really.


sorry couldnt choose one
as I said yesterday to DH, w/my family's health issues they can occupy an entire's hospital staff

Re: Spinoff to Catey's story....

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Posted by Byrne2Be

My mom's older brother and her best friend passed away when he was 41 due to ALL (leukemia). He left behind 3 daughters..one of which was 6 when he passed...and he died on her birthday. My poor grandma endured so much as my grandpa passed away 4 months later out of the blue....his doctors said the only 'explanation' for his heart attack was a broken heart.

Needless to say, this impacted my family greatly.

I volunteered at sloan kettering in the peds unit bc my uncle was treated there and would always talk about how devastating it was to see sick babies/kids...and then if/when he got better he would volunteer in the pediatric units. He never got better but I did it for years to honor him!

I stopped going when i started graduate school bc I had class three nights a week but I finish up school in may and I will be returning to sloan....

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Heather, the guy I dated last before DH had A.L.L.

He was diagnosed when he was 3 and did the whole bit -- he's in good shape now but even then ... when we first got together and I learned all about what he went through and saw the pictures of little-him going through chemo and his pictures from his make-a-wish stuff... it just broke my heart.

So sad. I know you're not supposed to question god but it's things like that that I can't help it... and I'm just like 'why would he do that to a little kid and his family and then little these douchebag murderers and rapists walk the streets!?'

Re: Spinoff to Catey's story....

Mine would be breast cancer. I don't understand it and it scares me. I think half of DH's aunts are fighting breast cancer. MIL had to have a breast removed a few years ago but has been in remission since.

Re: Spinoff to Catey's story....

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Posted by flibbertigibbet

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Posted by Byrne2Be

My mom's older brother and her best friend passed away when he was 41 due to ALL (leukemia). He left behind 3 daughters..one of which was 6 when he passed...and he died on her birthday. My poor grandma endured so much as my grandpa passed away 4 months later out of the blue....his doctors said the only 'explanation' for his heart attack was a broken heart.

Needless to say, this impacted my family greatly.

I volunteered at sloan kettering in the peds unit bc my uncle was treated there and would always talk about how devastating it was to see sick babies/kids...and then if/when he got better he would volunteer in the pediatric units. He never got better but I did it for years to honor him!

I stopped going when i started graduate school bc I had class three nights a week but I finish up school in may and I will be returning to sloan....

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Heather, the guy I dated last before DH had A.L.L.

He was diagnosed when he was 3 and did the whole bit -- he's in good shape now but even then ... when we first got together and I learned all about what he went through and saw the pictures of little-him going through chemo and his pictures from his make-a-wish stuff... it just broke my heart.

So sad. I know you're not supposed to question god but it's things like that that I can't help it... and I'm just like 'why would he do that to a little kid and his family and then little these douchebag murderers and rapists walk the streets!?'

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I could, and often do, cry on a dime when I think about this. THANK GOD that your friend is doing well but I'm sure his life has been greatly impacted by what he endured as a little guy.

Becki, it is heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time to be with these kids....many of them are bald from chemo and have masks bc they're compromised due to treatment...and often volunteers have to wear head to toe scrubs/masks/shoe covers/gloves just to play with them. All these babies want to do is play or watch movies....just be kids. I was going weekly and I never broke down at the hospital but now when I think back to what I saw I don't know how I'll be able to start doing it again.

I befriended this 16 year old kid over the course of a year....his parents never visited him when he was inpatient and it broke my heart. He passed away and I was so crushed...I couldn't get over it for a while.

The point you make/question you bring up is very hard to swallow and impossible to consider...with so many horrible humans why do the innocent have to suffer?

Re: Spinoff to Catey's story....

Mine is Epilepsy. DH was diagnosed when he was a teenager. In the past 12 months he's had quite a few seizures, more than he's had in years. I worry because he becomes very disoriented afterwards usually for 2 hours or so. He has no idea he's going to have one. I get nervous when he's at work if I don't hear from him for awhile. I worry about him crossing the street and getting hit by a car.
Now I give him his medicine everyday myself because I worry he might forget and it's important he doesnt miss a dose.
I worry about having kids and leaving the kids home with him. But I guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

Re: Spinoff to Catey's story....

My grandmother has alzheimer's disease .... she still remembers a lot of things but she def has her days of 'forgetting' too.

DH and I are planning a trip to Israel this fall or winter primarily so we could visit her ... it's going to be a little weird to see her in a nursing home like that (last i saw her, she was living in her own house).

Re: Spinoff to Catey's story....

I guess American Cancer Society... Ive lost some of my favorite people in the world to Cancer

Re: Spinoff to Catey's story....

The childrens tumor foundation bc I Have a disease called nf2. MTV had a true life special on it last year. I was diagnosed at 17 have had 5 surgeries and I am permanently disabled bc of it. I still get up everyday and do what I can. Even when I am in extreme amounts of pain. I hope that one day they can find a cure

Re: Spinoff to Catey's story....

I have 2...alzheimer's disease and breast cancer...

My Grandmother had alzheimer's and her mother also, I see signs in my uncle and my dad jokes that he doesn't care where we put him when he gets old, he won't know what's going on or who anyone is. It's scary to see what the body goes through and trying to speak to people who have this disease.

My mom is a 7 year breast cancer survivor! She had a lumpectomy and then there were 3 masses behind the cysts that all came back possible so she had a mysectomy. She had staff infection after infection to the point where they had to put a line in and a nurse had to come to the house (10 days in Sloan and then 2 weeks in Sloan got to be a little too much in a 1.5 month period). She went through being sick from Chemo and gaining weight to worrying if my dad would still love her after losing a breast (since she got diagnosed my parents have become the happiest and most in love couple I know - 37 years strong).

Both hold so close to my heart and I don't think I could choose just one!